Procol Harum

Beyond
the Pale 

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Route 66
Angel Air SJPCD 005

Record Collector November 2001


Preconceptions in music are often generally accurate. I mean, a 1980's Danish mod band, for Odin's sake? Route 66 originally recorded this début outing way back in '84, but due to the proverbial record company problems, a mere 500 copies were pressed before the financial plug was pulled on the band.

So, 17 full years later, it has suddenly [sic] reappeared on Angel Air for reasons not apparent until you actually put the whole damn thing on. Taking their lead from the likes of Joe Jackson and Elvis Costello, tracks such as I Know It's Not True and I'm Not A Punk have a certain garage-band rawness and  engaging energy delivered with some aplomb. Procol Harum fans should note that Matthew Fisher plays keyboards on a number of tracks as well as producing the album.

Despite being far from original, and suffering from the occasional detracting cliché, Route 66 should tickle a few mod and ska fancies.

Ron Wilson


More on this album here

The master-mind of this band was of course
Claes Johansen, who wrote the Procol Biography

 


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